That hackneyed Marlies motto proclaiming “every game is a tryout” suddenly has meaning for potential Maple Leafs on the farm.

The parent team, which opens training camp Sunday, has a pretty good book on which farmhands have played well halfway through the AHL season.

But starting with Tuesday night’s 2-1 overtime loss in Hamilton against the Bulldogs, those on the bubble will try and catch management’s eye with second efforts on everything from blocking shots, to back-checking to body language.

Nazem Kadri, fighting through hip injury problems the past few weeks, had the Toronto goal, while Jussi Rynnas was strong again in goal, though Ben Scrivens is still going to get the first chance to challenge James Reimer for the No. 1 job with the Leafs.

Jake Gardiner, once he gets through the last of whiplash/concussion issues, will get one of coach Randy Carlyle’s 30 or less roster spots, more if the NHL expands the minimum roster beyond 23 by one or two.

The Marlies have two weekend games in St. John’s and it will be interesting to see if any are kept back to be ready for Leafs camp or go to Newfoundland for one final exam. It’s also possible the Leafs and Marlies use the farm team’s five-day respite to try an exhibition game.

KULEMIN'S RUSSIAN RECIPE

If any Leaf should have a hot start to the 48-game season, it’s Nikolai Kulemin, based on his final KHL numbers during the lockout.

As of this week, he ranked 14th among National Hockey Leaguers who killed time elsewhere around the world, according the website eliteprospects.com.

The Leafs winger had 35 points in 35 games for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the KHL. His plus-23 was the second best of 212 NHL-affiliated players tracked by the site, one behind Slovenian forward Jan Mursak of the Red Wings and tied with the ageless Jaromir Jagr.

Kulemin’s linemate Mikhail Grabovski was next on the list of Leafs, 55th overall, after getting 22 points in 27 games for CSKA Moscow.

Clarke MacArthur had 11 points in Germany, while Joffrey Lupul had a goal and four assists in nine games with his KHL squad, Avtomobilist. He was a later KHL arrival on a weak team.

Defenceman Cody Franson had seven points and was a plus-10 for Brynas in Sweden. Brynas has a more famous alumnist who was on the Toronto blueline, thousand-gamer Borje Salming.

ROCK AND ROLL

For a game that many fans vowed they’d boycott, there is plenty of public interest about when and where the Leafs will open their 48-game schedule.

Right now, reports out of Montreal suggest the Leafs will be away to play the Canadiens for the NHL’s start-up date on Jan. 19.

That Saturday night at the ACC was booked long ago for the home opener of the Toronto Rock of the National Lacrosse League, though under the current agreement the Leafs could have bumped the Rock if they wanted to.

“We have had discussions, but we’re not interested in moving that date,” said Mike Hancock, director of operations for the Rock. “When we first saw Jan. 19 was being looked at by the NHL, we thought the Leafs might reach out to us, but we’re well into planning for our game.”

With Chicago and Detroit out of the conference, the Leafs options are Montreal, Boston or the New York Rangers, the latter likely to face a division rival.

LOOSE LEAFS

The Leafs and Franson’s agent have begun talks to re-sign the restricted free agent ... One of the first clues Carlyle had about his team not being up to his standard of conditioning was a practice soon after he replaced Ron Wilson. After 55 minutes with some added laps, Carlyle was amused to hear players grumbling and describing it as “a bag skate”. “That’s just the way (practice) works from my perspective,” said the coach, who gave fair warning to expect that pace from now on ... Mike Komisarek, a prime candidate to be bought out if the Leafs choose to dump a big contract, would love to be in the starting lineup Jan. 19. It would be the perfect 31st birthday present that day ... The Leafs have won two Stanley Cups in a 48-game schedule, the first in their new home at the Gardens in 1932 and 10 years later during their famous comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the Cup final to Detroit ... Stats’ supremo @randynumbers reminds that if the NHL had stopped at 48 games last season, 15 of the 16 playoff teams would have been the same. The only change would have seen Minnesota squeak in and the Coyotes bumped out. The Leafs’ 48-game record was 24-19-3-2.

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Marlies trying to impress Leaf bosses

That hackneyed Marlies motto proclaiming “every game is a tryout” suddenly has meaning for potential Maple Leafs on the farm.

The parent team, which opens training camp Sunday, has a pretty good book on which farmhands have played well halfway through the AHL season.

But starting with Tuesday night’s 2-1 overtime loss in Hamilton against the Bulldogs, those on the bubble will try and catch management’s eye with second efforts on everything from blocking shots, to back-checking to body language.

Nazem Kadri, fighting through hip injury problems the past few weeks, had the Toronto goal, while Jussi Rynnas was strong again in goal, though Ben Scrivens is still going to get the first chance to challenge James Reimer for the No. 1 job with the Leafs.

Jake Gardiner, once he gets through the last of whiplash/concussion issues, will get one of coach Randy Carlyle’s 30 or less roster spots, more if the NHL expands the minimum roster beyond 23 by one or two.